The weather at home, sweet home can only be described as hot and muggy. It is virtually impossible to go through a day without being bathed in perspiration at some point or another. Wonder if others who returned from abroad share my sentiments.
But Singapore is still the place where I grew up in. Or maybe anywhere else can be home, as long as one adapts. Searing temperatures? No problem, design a nice cooling home with appropriate materials and ventilation. Buy suitable clothing. Get used to it.
Went to the market this morning with Ma and Pa - it's a nice routine that is faithfully repeated everytime I come home. To be back in the heartlands is kind of comforting and reassuring, perhaps in the sense that at least some things remain the same. The fish and meat vendors upgraded their fridges and cleaned the stalls more often. The veggies don't smell as earthy anymore and prices in the hwaker stalls have been raised by 50 cents - $1. But the old aunties and uncles who banter and chat with Ma remain the same. I've always admired Ma for her ability to put anyone at ease and in a good humour (even Pa) and she is my role model for interaction with people - sincerity and good humour are welcomed anywhere in the world.
Monday, May 30, 2005
Monday, May 23, 2005
Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall
The Taiwanese have a strong nationalistic streak, and they display proudly it in their monuments.
小白菜
One of the treasures of the national museum - a piece of jade carved (but not colo(u)red) to resemble a cabbage.
Sunday, May 22, 2005
基隆庙口
Outside a famous temple in Taipei, foodstalls gather to serve the pious masses, and what a feast to behold. Every mouthful was a first-time experience and not a single one of them was a disappointment.
狗狗在睡觉！
I wonder how this little guy remained asleep amidst all the hustle and bustle of 九份老街 but he definitely looked like he was having some sweet dreams... probably of all the yummy food.
Saturday, May 21, 2005
First day in Taiwan!
stepping out of the plane at chiang kai-shek international airport, i could already feel the stifling heat of the tropics - very reminiscent of home. the people, the traffic, even the air would come to remind me of singapore in the 1980s. i don't mean to imply that taiwan is less modern than singapore but rather, there's a certain charm about formosa that is rather endearing.
after an hour or so, yx's mum, maternal uncle and aunt picked us up and off we went - towards the general direction of taipei and various little districts. it was 7am on a saturday morning, my body was still at 4pm us pacific time so i wasn't looking forward to that period of intense fatigue later that afternoon. yx's relatives' solution was to bring us to many different places to try the local specialties and to keep us awake until nightfall.
thus a whole week of feasting began. i shudder to think how much exercise i'd have to put in to work it off but it was definitely worth it. first we went to the northeastern tip of taiwan, near the coast, to a little town called 九份 (Jiu3 Fen4) (literally, 9 portions) apparently it used to be a thriving mining town until the government ordered everyone to relocate and only nine families were left. as 九份 was quite a ways from town (groceries, daily necessities, food, etc), whenever someone went out to buy dinner, s/he would buy nine portions - hence the name. at 九份, we walked down this street called 九份老街 Lao3 Jie1 (Nine portions old street) where many little food stalls and sundry good stores and souvenir shops were located. Incidentally, Gene & Frances were there a couple of weeks ago and things there were exactly as they described - lots of good food and one could walk through, sampling every single type on sale and walk out at the end, stuffed yet not haven't spent a single cent. we ate some sweet taro dumplings which i hadn't seen before, and sampled tons of other goodies. there were many japanese tourists and i was amazed at how many taiwanese shopowners and service industry personnel could speak fluent Japanese. personally, the thought of working in taiwan became more appealing :)
after 九份, we went to a seafood market where we ate very fresh boiled, succulent squid - another first. the beaches in that region of taiwan were rather dirty and polluted by decades of port activities and careless tourism - much like singapore's. next, we drove on to 深坑 Shen1 Keng1 (deep hole). did i also mention that driving in taiwan would take a lot of getting used to? after the relatively amiable roads in the US, i was taken aback by how drivers are super aggressive yet manage to make their way around without endangering themselves and everyone else. people would cut into one's lane without warning; cars coming from the opposite direction would turn / u-turn 3 meters away from oncoming cars; and for pedestrians, don't worry about vehicles bearing down on you - just cross the road and drivers will magically bend ther cars and motorcycles around you. after many days of careful observatiion i concluded that the trick to be a good taiwanese driver was to dare to do whatever you want to, but do it slooowwwly. no sudden movements please ;P
anyway, back to 深坑.... this was a town famous for stinky tofu and boy was it good! fried, steamed, boiled, braised, sauteed - you name it, they have it, we relished it. there's this craze in taiwan now for Shan1 Cai4 ("mountain vegetables"), or vegetables found in the wild. they taste kind of smooth and are supposed to be very good for one's health. good stuff, man.
our last stop before Xin1 Zhu2 was a town where yx's mum's and aunt's university was located. her mum hadn't been back in years so she was excited at seeing the buildings and hostels of long ago and happily recounted stories.
some funny things about taiwan
- the betelnut girls - scantily-clad ladies who sat behind glass windows, waiting to sell betel nuts - a kind of plant with narcotic properties that people chew much in the same vein as smoking. apparently if one pays more, one can fondle them too.
- number of people who can speak japanese. in many ways, taiwan resembles japan (or vice versa - i don't know who started what first and no offence to anyone who thinks otherwise). for example, the friendliness of service personnel, the "cuteness" or "kawaii-ness" of everyday items - street signs, store displays, electrical appliances, marketing paraphelia etc. even the public transportation system - trains, mrt, busses are very efficiently run. yx's grandparents grew up and were educated at the time when taiwan was ruled by the japanese, so they spoke fluently japanese and retain a deep affection for all things japanese to this day. i was fortunate enough to receive several lessons in "cultured japanese" by her grandpa and even some magazines with which to practise my reading comprehension. darn! i knew i should've brought my dictionary!
- number of japanese tourists and businesspeople
- polluted air - gave me a sore throat throughout my stay. not sure if i wanna live there long-term.
- amount of good, inexpensive food available 24/7
- friendliness & hospitiality of the people - everywhere i went i was treated very well. people are laidback in general and know how to play hard as well as to work hard.
- cultured behavior. when a taiwanese girl says "welcome" or "thank you" in that special "Die1" (hanyu pinyin pronounciation if you please), one can melt.
- fiercely nationalistic
- politicians are treated like pop stars - given the same amount of attention.
- entrepreneurial streaks can be seen everywhere.
- hotels or apartments for rent have daily as well as 3-hourly rates (Xiu1 Xi2 Shi2 Jian1 or "rest time" as they call it) - for people to have brief trysts. nice packaging but odd that it's so prevalently as to merit an official marketable commodity.
for some reason, i felt at home in taiwan. either the people resemble the older generation of my father's side of the family - speaking Hokkien (or Taiwanese), or that the buildings and weather bore an uncanny resemblance to the 1980s' singapore.
i have a lot to thank yx and her family for because they really went out of their way to take care of me and to show me a good time. i mean, they didn't have to do it but they made sure that i wasn't ignored amidst all the fanfare of welcoming yx and her mum back to taiwan. hopefully i can repay their kindness someday.
after an hour or so, yx's mum, maternal uncle and aunt picked us up and off we went - towards the general direction of taipei and various little districts. it was 7am on a saturday morning, my body was still at 4pm us pacific time so i wasn't looking forward to that period of intense fatigue later that afternoon. yx's relatives' solution was to bring us to many different places to try the local specialties and to keep us awake until nightfall.
thus a whole week of feasting began. i shudder to think how much exercise i'd have to put in to work it off but it was definitely worth it. first we went to the northeastern tip of taiwan, near the coast, to a little town called 九份 (Jiu3 Fen4) (literally, 9 portions) apparently it used to be a thriving mining town until the government ordered everyone to relocate and only nine families were left. as 九份 was quite a ways from town (groceries, daily necessities, food, etc), whenever someone went out to buy dinner, s/he would buy nine portions - hence the name. at 九份, we walked down this street called 九份老街 Lao3 Jie1 (Nine portions old street) where many little food stalls and sundry good stores and souvenir shops were located. Incidentally, Gene & Frances were there a couple of weeks ago and things there were exactly as they described - lots of good food and one could walk through, sampling every single type on sale and walk out at the end, stuffed yet not haven't spent a single cent. we ate some sweet taro dumplings which i hadn't seen before, and sampled tons of other goodies. there were many japanese tourists and i was amazed at how many taiwanese shopowners and service industry personnel could speak fluent Japanese. personally, the thought of working in taiwan became more appealing :)
after 九份, we went to a seafood market where we ate very fresh boiled, succulent squid - another first. the beaches in that region of taiwan were rather dirty and polluted by decades of port activities and careless tourism - much like singapore's. next, we drove on to 深坑 Shen1 Keng1 (deep hole). did i also mention that driving in taiwan would take a lot of getting used to? after the relatively amiable roads in the US, i was taken aback by how drivers are super aggressive yet manage to make their way around without endangering themselves and everyone else. people would cut into one's lane without warning; cars coming from the opposite direction would turn / u-turn 3 meters away from oncoming cars; and for pedestrians, don't worry about vehicles bearing down on you - just cross the road and drivers will magically bend ther cars and motorcycles around you. after many days of careful observatiion i concluded that the trick to be a good taiwanese driver was to dare to do whatever you want to, but do it slooowwwly. no sudden movements please ;P
anyway, back to 深坑.... this was a town famous for stinky tofu and boy was it good! fried, steamed, boiled, braised, sauteed - you name it, they have it, we relished it. there's this craze in taiwan now for Shan1 Cai4 ("mountain vegetables"), or vegetables found in the wild. they taste kind of smooth and are supposed to be very good for one's health. good stuff, man.
our last stop before Xin1 Zhu2 was a town where yx's mum's and aunt's university was located. her mum hadn't been back in years so she was excited at seeing the buildings and hostels of long ago and happily recounted stories.
some funny things about taiwan
- the betelnut girls - scantily-clad ladies who sat behind glass windows, waiting to sell betel nuts - a kind of plant with narcotic properties that people chew much in the same vein as smoking. apparently if one pays more, one can fondle them too.
- number of people who can speak japanese. in many ways, taiwan resembles japan (or vice versa - i don't know who started what first and no offence to anyone who thinks otherwise). for example, the friendliness of service personnel, the "cuteness" or "kawaii-ness" of everyday items - street signs, store displays, electrical appliances, marketing paraphelia etc. even the public transportation system - trains, mrt, busses are very efficiently run. yx's grandparents grew up and were educated at the time when taiwan was ruled by the japanese, so they spoke fluently japanese and retain a deep affection for all things japanese to this day. i was fortunate enough to receive several lessons in "cultured japanese" by her grandpa and even some magazines with which to practise my reading comprehension. darn! i knew i should've brought my dictionary!
- number of japanese tourists and businesspeople
- polluted air - gave me a sore throat throughout my stay. not sure if i wanna live there long-term.
- amount of good, inexpensive food available 24/7
- friendliness & hospitiality of the people - everywhere i went i was treated very well. people are laidback in general and know how to play hard as well as to work hard.
- cultured behavior. when a taiwanese girl says "welcome" or "thank you" in that special "Die1" (hanyu pinyin pronounciation if you please), one can melt.
- fiercely nationalistic
- politicians are treated like pop stars - given the same amount of attention.
- entrepreneurial streaks can be seen everywhere.
- hotels or apartments for rent have daily as well as 3-hourly rates (Xiu1 Xi2 Shi2 Jian1 or "rest time" as they call it) - for people to have brief trysts. nice packaging but odd that it's so prevalently as to merit an official marketable commodity.
for some reason, i felt at home in taiwan. either the people resemble the older generation of my father's side of the family - speaking Hokkien (or Taiwanese), or that the buildings and weather bore an uncanny resemblance to the 1980s' singapore.
i have a lot to thank yx and her family for because they really went out of their way to take care of me and to show me a good time. i mean, they didn't have to do it but they made sure that i wasn't ignored amidst all the fanfare of welcoming yx and her mum back to taiwan. hopefully i can repay their kindness someday.
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